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But the former city station commander was diagnosed with PTSD after visiting his GP - and went on to experience counselling at Harcombe House in Devon.

“The support the team at the Charity has given me and the way they helped me has been fantastic," Mr Moore says.

"They are all brilliant and help you to realise you can do a lot more than you think you can do.

"It’s up to me now.”

And, urging others to seek help, he added: “Don’t sit in silence, don’t sit alone, don’t see it as a weakness.”

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PTSD999 cites research that suggests nearly 20% of police officers could be suffering from mental trauma in relation to their job.

Figures obtained by ITV News showed that across 27 police forces, staff took more than a million sick days over the past three years because of psychological problems.

Steve White, the chairman of the Police Federation, said a welfare programme run by the federation and the Police Firearms Officers Association, which was set up after a spate of officers committed suicide, has treated more than 700 officers in two years.

Research by the mental health charity Mind, which runs the Blue Light programme specifically for the emergency services, found nearly nine in 10 staff and volunteers across the emergency services have experienced stress, low mood or poor mental health while performing their role.

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Mind's research also found that 79% of staff in the emergency services would never seek help from HR if they had a mental health problem, which was a particular problem in the police.

"Incidents such as the horrendous fire at Grenfell Tower bring into sharp focus the hugely challenging and dangerous jobs 999 staff and volunteers carry out on a daily basis to keep the public safe," said Faye McGuinness, the Blue Light programme manager at Mind.

"Not everyone involved in a traumatic event will develop PTSD - many people recover from terrible experiences without any long-lasting effects.

"However, if someone does develop PTSD, it can take a long time - sometimes years - for symptoms to emerge.

"PTSD can be extremely distressing and debilitating, potentially having a huge impact on someone's day to day activities including their ability to do their jobs.

"However, recovery is possible, and the sooner people seek help, the better."